The Weekly WTF: The silliest day in presidential history
Plus, Trump's war with the pope, a Democrat's epic collapse, and the latest meme stock
The Pinpoint Press will be taking the weekend off for a family wedding. See you Monday!
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This stuff actually happened:
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Trump. President Donald Trump gave the Internet a priceless gift on April 12 by publishing a social-media post featuring a goofy, AI-generated image of himself as Jesus Christ, administering to an ailing man. The outrage was predictable and loud. And the mockery was hilarious.
The incident clarifies two things about Trump. One, he’s so clueless about religion and spirituality that he didn’t realize how offensive such a post would be to, oh, say one billion people. Sometimes Trump is deliberately offensive, to own the libs or whoever his perceived enemy is. But not in this case. We know because Trump deleted the post, a rarity for him. That was a tacit admission that he screwed up and it might cost him. Which means it didn’t occur to him ahead of time that characterizing himself as God might seem blasphemous.
[See all of Trump’s losing causes]
Two, Trump really does have a God complex, but not the usual sort of God. Trump may think of God as somebody who’s the master of his domain, more like a benevolent despot than a superhuman deity. That’s something Trump aspires to himself. With spirituality out of the equation, Trump depicting himself as Christ is no different than depicting himself as chairman of the board or general of the troops: Provocative, maybe, but a standard part of his self-promotional playbook. It took a multinational uproar to trigger some feral signal in Trump’s brain indicating maybe he had gone too far.
The following day, Trump claimed the now-deleted post was meant to show him as a doctor, not a Christ figure. That lie brought more outrage and lampoonery. Here are some of the better memes the whole farce generated:
Trump v. Pope. To compound his problems with Catholics, Trump is beefing with Pope Leo XIV, because Leo has criticized Trump’s war in Iran. On April 12, Trump said in a social-media post that Leo is “weak on crime,” as if the pope is a mayor who’s responsible for getting thugs off the streets. Trump also said Leo is “terrible for foreign policy,” perhaps confusing the religious leader with some head of state. The church has had severe reputational problems during the last 30 years, but Trump’s attacks are boosting its image. Leo looks thoughtful and mature compared with Trump’s childish antics.
[See the most outrageous failure in Washington]
Granny groans. At a staged White House event on April 13, a 58-year-old grandmother from Arkansas who delivers food for DoorDash brought Trump some McDonald’s takeout food, as cameras rolled. The White House wanted the woman, Sharon Simmons, to tell the world how much money Trump’s tax exemption on tip income has saved her. But Trump went off script, asking her, “do you think that men should play in women’s sports?” Because, you know, trans sports policies are the main thing the typical gig worker wants to talk about.
Simmons said she had no opinion on trans issues. That made her seem normal. But some people noticed that Simmons has been a featured worker at other Republican events, suggesting maybe she was a plant.
A DoorDash spokesperson got involved, to defend the company’s honor, then deleted some social-media posts that seemed a bit too shrill. What was supposed to be a bland publicity event turned into a PR fiasco. On top of that, some critics pointed out that highlighting a grandmother working a gig economy job to demonstrate the success of your economic policies might, in fact, do the opposite.
Mark this date. April 13, 2026, might have been the most ridiculous day in presidential history. Trump started the day by deleting his Jesus Trump post, then defended his decision to post it in the first place, saying it wasn’t a Jesus figure but a doctor, as if we’re supposed to believe the ethereal rays emanating from the ailing man’s head are medical lasers. Then he defended his attacks on the pope and explained why he called the pope “weak on crime.” Then, for lunch, he opened one of the White House doors to greet a DoorDash driver, as if delivery people sidle up to the White House all the time. Then, to chit-chat, he asked her views on trans rights. Also, the US-Iran ceasefire talks broke down.
[See the economic toll of the Iran war]
Me too, me three, me four. Former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California is toast, following an epic career implosion that ended with one-time mentor Nancy Pelosi telling him to quit. Swalwell was a high-profile California Democrat with a good chance of becoming the next California governor when multiple allegations of sexual abuse and rape suddenly surfaced. One woman said Swalwell drugged, beat and raped her in a hotel room in 2018. Another, who worked for Swalwell, said he sexually assaulted her in 2019. More allegations piled up, forcing Swalwell to end his campaign for governor and resign from Congress.
1. What if Swalwell hadn’t run for governor? Would these claims have stayed secret?
2. Why are there always guys who think they can get away with this kind of stuff?
3. Humanity is deeply disappointing.
Allbusinesses. The sneaker company Allbirds, once known for wool kicks seen throughout Silicon Valley, is now an AI company, because sneakers aren’t trendy anymore but AI is.
After going public in 2021, the company basically crashed, with few people beyond California interested in its sneakers. In March, a brand-management company bought Allbirds’ assets for less than 1% of their peak value.
[See 4 reasons stocks are suddenly booming]
That buyer has now teamed with another investor to rebrand the company NewBird AI and develop artificial intelligence products for corporations. So, the sneaker company had some special AI technology or expertise? Nope, it’s just an effort to take one brand some people have heard of and repurpose it to cash in on a hot investing trend.
Sounds scammy, but the news sent the stock soaring 582% in one day. So BIRD is now a meme stock. Maybe that will help sell some sneakers. They’re still available, and cheaper than they were a few years ago.
You can order this cartoon ☝️ or others like it, plus merch featuring cartoons, at CartoonStock.com
I hate to say it but, the more i read on Rick's Report's the more i laugh! It or the part about the humanity of people and then the article's on Trump and, the scam on Allbirds made me laugh.This stuff is really getting absolutely strange but, it fit's Trump.
Man, this was a VERY LOOOONG short week, or at least has felt that way on the west coast where your email arrived mid-morning on a Thursday!! Gee, I wonder... Will the WTFs never cease?
Enjoy the wedding, Rick!